1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory card insertion type electronic equipment into which a memory card, in which an application program for a system to use has been stored, is inserted so as to use the application program, and an apparatus for writing an application program to the memory card.
Stored in the memory cards are application programs that are different, for example, for each memory card issuer according to the systems to use therewith. Diverse types of transactions, management, etc. can be carried out by setting such a memory card on the electronic equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
The application programs stored in memory cards are used for the transaction systems at banks or shops, the incoming and outgoing control systems at facilities, and medical examination systems in medical treatment. For instance, there is an electronic transaction system employing electronic money for the transactions made at shops. In such an electronic transaction system, a sales clerk receives an IC card to which a customer, namely, the user of the IC card, has transferred money in advance from his or her account thereto, inserts the IC card in portable electronic equipment, and presses appropriate keys on the control console of the portable electronic equipment to enter a sales amount. The customer then presses a key for confirmation of the sales amount to initiate transfer of the sales amount from the IC card to the memory card or the memory of the portable electronic equipment so as to make a payment.
At the end of a day, a shop manager connects the portable electronic equipment, in which the sales amount for the day has been stored, to a terminal in connection with a computer at a bank in order to send the information on the sales amount stored in the portable electronic equipment to the computer at the bank.
The electronic money has different types of processing for each different issuer of the electronic money, so that it is necessary to prepare application programs suited for each type or processing. Hence, the application programs are stored in the memory cards, and each type of processing is implemented by changing the memory card to match each transaction system. However, the portable electronic equipment employed for such electronic transaction systems or the like (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cmemory card insertion type electronic equipmentxe2x80x9d) does not have a function for checking memory cards for authenticity. Therefore, when a memory card is inserted in the memory card insertion type portable electronic equipment, the application program stored in the memory card is implemented even if the application program is an invalid one. Hence, there has been a danger of overwriting the contents of an electronic transaction system.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a memory card insertion type electronic equipment provided with a function for checking a memory card for authenticity before executing an application program stored in the memory card.
To this end, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a memory card insertion type electronic equipment including: a contact section to which a terminal of a memory card, where authentication data and an application program have been stored, is detachably connected; a control console where a group of operating keys is disposed; and a control unit having means for storing a secret key, and memory card authenticating means that reads authentication data from the memory card connected to the contact portion when a reset key of the control console is pressed, decodes it using the secret key, compares the decoded authentication data with the data read from the application program stored in the memory card, and authenticates the memory card if the comparison result indicates agreement therebetween.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a memory card writing apparatus for generating authentication data for checking a memory card for authenticity and storing it in the memory card.
To this end, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a memory card writing apparatus equipped with: a contact section to which a terminal of a memory card is detachably connected; secret key storing means for storing a secret key; application program storing means for storing an application program; authentication data creating means for creating authentication data by encoding, according to the secret key, a set of information composed of an address of a predetermined number generated at random and data read from the application program storing means according to the address.